How to facilitate group model building workshops

IN-PERSON

Our in-person 2-day workshop will be held at Deakin University’s downtown campus in Melbourne’s Docklands on Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 October, from 10.30am to 5pm on day 1 and 9.30am to 3pm on day 2.

Eventbrite in-person workshop registration

ONLINE

The online workshops will be 6 x 2-hour sessions, spread over 3 weeks. Each session will run from 3 to 5pm AEDT (5 to 7am GMT, 6 to 8am CET) on 7, 9, 14, 16, 21 and 23 October 2025.

Eventbrite online workshops registration

 

Workshop details

Both the in-person and online workshops will help you to:

• develop an understanding of the basic principles of systems thinking by participating in a GMB process and building CLDs using STICKE
• build confidence in facilitating GMB through practice
• build understanding and capabilities in group model building (GMB) (systems workshops/mapping), and causal loop diagrams (CLD) (systems maps)
• learn how to visualise interdependent systems using STICKE – a Deakin University developed software platform designed for collaborative systems mapping
• consider and discuss how systems mapping and systems workshops can fit into your work practice and enhance community-based health and wellbeing processes.

The workshop fee of AUD1,500 includes:

• in-person 2-day workshops OR online 6 x 2-hour workshops both led by experienced facilitators
• 12-month single user STICKE licence (if you currently hold a , you will receive a 12-month extension)
• access to 2 x 1-hour drop-in sessions for support, scheduled in the 8 weeks following the workshop series, to provide further support and assistance to workshop participants.

Book by 8 August 2025 to receive the early bird fee of $1,250.

 

The sessions will be run by experienced Deakin University facilitators.

Dr Andrew Brown 

Dr Andrew Brown‘s work focuses on applying community development and systems thinking to health and social problems. He works with communities to build systems thinking capacity by using group model building to develop causal loop diagrams and simulation models representing problems of interest they want to act on. He has worked on many projects across Victoria, Australia and internationally on a diverse range of topics, including food systems, family violence prevention, and mental health promotion. He has a Master of Social Work with a Certificate in System Dynamics, and in his PhD, he used both quantitative and qualitative system dynamics modelling to understand community-led approaches to prevention.

Tiana Felmingham

Tiana Felmingham has been working on collaborative projects with communities and at executive level in Australia and the Pacific region for over 20 years. Her work has a specific focus on prevention, systems science, community voice and evaluation and spans multiple public health priorities including mental health, violence prevention, alcohol and drug use, health outcomes for children and young people, and disaster recovery efforts. Tiana is currently completing a PhD, with a focus on uncovering what influences success in the application of systems thinking in community-led change. Tiana has a passion for measuring how the systems work we do with the community, makes a difference to the community.

Dr Carmen Vargas

Carmen Vargas is a public health nutrition professional with a Bachelor of Dietetics and Nutrition and a double master’s in public health and international development. Carmen’s public health nutrition career is underpinned by her interest in prevention through nutritional education programs and healthy eating advocacy campaigns in Mexico. Her personal values strongly align with the social justice/social equity basis of public health. Carmen recently completed her PhD where she investigated “The Theory and Practice of Co-creation to Develop Health-Enabling Initiatives” with a Food Retail Perspective after successfully gaining a funded position with the Centre for Excellence in Food Retail Environments for Health (RE-FRESH) – the first international centre for healthy food retail research, policy and practice, based in Melbourne, Australia. Carmen is currently using her co-creation learning and, in combination with systems thinking theory, looking at ways to support local food systems transformation.

Dr Tari Forrester-Bowling

Tari Forrester-Bowling is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with a Bachelor of Environmental Science, Master of International Water Resource Management, and PhD in Public Health with a focus on system dynamics modelling. She brings over two decades of experience across environmental science, international development, and public health. Her work focuses on applying systems thinking and community-based system dynamics to address complex public health challenges. Tari has led and contributed to projects in Australia and Southeast Asia, particularly in WASH, nutrition, and mental health. She is recognised for her expertise in co-design, group model building, and stakeholder engagement, especially with communities with lived experience. Her research aims to inform policy and practice through participatory, systems-informed approaches.

Stephanie Bennetts

Stephanie works at the intersection of community engagement, mental health, and systems thinking, driven by a commitment to trauma-informed, inclusive, and sustainable approaches to care. Her research and practice is grounded in meaningful collaboration with people who bring lived experience to the table, and in developing practical frameworks that support real change across services and institutions.

With a background in health professional education and mental health systems reform, Stephanie focuses on embedding trauma-informed principles into policy, organisational practice, and curriculum. Whether reviewing guidelines, co-designing with communities, or exploring complex systems, Stephanie aims to amplify diverse voices and build more responsive models of care that reflect the realities of those they serve.

What is systems thinking and why use it?

Systems thinking is a way of understanding the multiple moving parts that make up a current situation. By placing emphasis on understanding the broader drivers of health and wellbeing, it allows more comprehensive actions to be developed that are tailored to the needs and assets of a local community.

Our specific approach to system thinking is called group model building, a method that helps community groups form a shared understanding of the drivers of a complex problem and then co-design action. It is underpinned by the concept of systems thinking and, in this case, the relationships between the various factors that contribute.

The process is fully participatory, placing local leaders and community at the centre of describing a current situation, and planning and delivering optimal changes.

 

If you have any questions, contact: trudy.campbell@deakin.edu.au, andrew.brown@deakin.edu.au or tiana.felmingham@deakin.edu.au